Chapter 16: First Encounter with Shrek

The lone goose held the medicinal herbs in her hand. After seeing how Ye Lingling and Ning Rongrong's spirit powers had ascended by several levels after eating theirs, she hesitated. She hadn't taken hers yet.

"Tangled!" She groaned internally.

Lu Yuan had told Ye Lingling before that the herbs would boost her Soul Power Ascension, and now he had given her the Eight Treasures. She wondered, "If I take it… what if I end up with eight babies at once?"

She sighed deeply. "Forget it! To pursue strength… I'll take it. Let the babies come if they must!"

Meanwhile, Lu Yuan, Ye Lingling, and Ning Rongrong were staying in a hotel near the Star Dou Great Forest. Originally, Yu Tianheng and the others had planned to accompany Ye Lingling to help her acquire her new spirit ring. After all, they were all teammates.

However, when they saw that Lu Yuan was coming, they quickly changed their minds.

"It's too dangerous to be around Lu Yuan," they had thought.

Lu Yuan, however, enjoyed this configuration of "warriors and mistresses" as he called it. Without the others tagging along, he felt more at ease. The only downside was that Dugu Yan didn't come; she said her grandfather, Dugu Bo, was coming to visit her at the academy.

Ning Rongrong, on the other hand, had been more than eager to join them. Throughout the journey, both she and Ye Lingling had been vying for Lu Yuan's attention, each fighting to do something special for him.

And Lu Yuan? His choice was simple: "Enjoy it!"

"Lu Yuan Big Brother, this is your favorite braised meat!" Ye Lingling said with a look of excitement, putting a piece in his bowl.

"Lu Yuan Big Brother, this is a jar of wine my father has been collecting for decades. Try it!" Ning Rongrong chimed in, bringing out a jar of sealed wine.

Lu Yuan licked his lips and eagerly took the jar from Ning Rongrong, opening it and drinking deeply.

"Tons… Tons… Tons…"

"Ha! Good wine!" he exclaimed, thoroughly enjoying it.

Suddenly, a notification rang in his head:

[Ding! Host is healthy. Fifth spirit ring age +500]

It was good indeed. Even better than the royal tribute wine he'd had before, which only added 100 years to his spirit ring.

"Lu Yuan Big Brother likes it!" Ning Rongrong was beaming with pride. Seeing her success, Ye Lingling felt competitive, gritting her teeth.

"I won't lose this!" Ye Lingling said under her breath. She hurried to the kitchen and soon returned with a dish.

"Lu Yuan Big Brother, you can't have wine without food. Try the fish I made myself!"

Lu Yuan's eyes lit up at the sight of the fish. "Ah, fish and wine. Perfect!" He dug in, enjoying both the food and the drink.

As he continued drinking, completely absorbed in his enjoyment, neither Ning Rongrong nor Ye Lingling paid attention to the competition brewing between them.

Just then, a group of seven or eight people entered the hotel. Leading them was a short but muscular middle-aged man. Behind him, Lu Yuan noticed someone familiar.

"Little cat, what a coincidence!" Lu Yuan grinned upon seeing Zhu Zhuqing.

"Are you here to drink with me? Too bad I just finished a jar of good wine, but don't worry, I've got more."

Zhu Zhuqing froze at the sight of Lu Yuan. Her heart raced. This was the person she had been dreaming about every night.

"Lu Yuan…" Dai Mubai's voice cut through the moment, his eyes full of anger and embarrassment. The last time they had met, Lu Yuan had kicked him out like a rag doll. The humiliation had stuck with him for weeks.

Seeing Dai Mubai's reaction, Tang San, who was standing beside him, asked, "Boss Dai, what's going on?"

"A little holiday," Dai Mubai muttered, unwilling to admit the truth.

Ma Hongjun cracked his knuckles. "Don't worry, Boss Dai, we'll take care of this guy for you!"

Zhu Zhuqing frowned, disgusted by the way Ma Hongjun and the others were so eager to cause trouble. She had little affection for them, and the last thing she wanted was to see Lu Yuan get dragged into their drama.

"Kitten, want a drink?" Lu Yuan asked, staggering towards Zhu Zhuqing. But before he could reach her, a hand shot out, trying to grab him. Lu Yuan twisted his wrist, quickly catching hold of the attacker.

"Ha… you again? Is your skin itchy?" Lu Yuan recognized Dai Mubai instantly.

Dai Mubai gritted his teeth as pain shot up his arm. He had thought that with the support of his teammates, he could teach Lu Yuan a lesson. But now he was realizing how big a mistake that was.

Tang San, noticing Dai Mubai's distress, launched himself forward, his hand turning a bright white jade as he struck out at Lu Yuan.

Boom! The impact sent Tang San stumbling back.

Lu Yuan barely reacted, his grip on Dai Mubai still firm. "Which b*d are you?" he asked, clearly excited by the prospect of a fight.

Dai Mubai, in pain but stubborn, shouted, "Little San, let's not waste time talking. Everyone, attack together!"

The hotel owner, terrified that his establishment was about to be destroyed, rushed forward. "Please, soul masters, take your fight outside! My humble shop can't handle this!"

Lu Yuan, realizing the man had a point, grinned. "Fine, we'll fight outside." He released Dai Mubai and strolled towards the door.

Tang San turned to Dai Mubai, whispering urgently, "Boss Dai, who is this guy?"

Dai Mubai sighed. "It's Lu Yuan."

"No way!" Ma Hongjun's face paled. "Boss Dai, how did you manage to offend someone like him?!"

The others shared nervous glances. The name Lu Yuan was known far and wide across the continent, and none of them wanted to cross him.

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